browning



W. H. BROWNING. INK RIBBON FEED AND SIMILAR RivenssNG NEcHANlsNAPPLICATION FILED APR.14. |917.

`Patented yMay 6, 1919-.

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W. H. BROWNING.

INK'RIBBON FEED AND SIMILAR REVERSING MECHANlSM.

APPLICATIQN FILED A'FR. 14. |917.

1',s03,1.59. Patented May e, 1919; l zsuEsTs-snesz.

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UNITED sTATEs `rArinrr OFFICE.

, Y wALTRfHEN'RY moslimwereld? wEMLEmfuNeIfA-im.

To all whom z'tmy concern.'

flBe v-it known-that "l, VEVVAL'."riii'z HN'RY BROWNING, avsubjectlof-lthe King fof Great Bri-tain, residing in 'fMZeiiibley,England,have invented certain newf'and usefulImprovements]infInkRibbon"Feed and Similar Reversing Mechanism, of'which the ffollowi-ng bon feed orI like reversing mechanism of the type`described, wherein 'a sheet, strip or band is wound'alternatelvabackward and forward 'from one reell'or drum on to anotherhavingreversingV means comprising a nienrl ber, spring or' Weight-urgedlin onedirection, yand av secondfiiidependent member,y

' preferably Voperated by a-'noving part ofthe vapparatiis,urged' by astronger'v springy or heavier weighty to engage said first memberandur'ge it in the opposite direction'fand A means "governed-thefdiameters of said* reelsV or drums for regulating the movements.ofsaidmovable members;

f3The invention willbefully described Wit-l1 reference to the *faccompanying `r drawings Y which vshow the invention as to` a V ribbonfeed for typewriters or the like.

jfEigure A1 is' a frontfviewofthe apparatus showing the parts in -theposition for "wind- Athe ribbon lon one reel.

Fig. 12fis a"V similarview with the reels re-V moved, showing` the partsin Iposition" for winding-'the ribbon on tothe otherreel.-

Fig.` 3' is an undereside plan of "the `same parts inthe Vposition.shown in Figs-1.l

Ythe same positionf" l 1 Y Upon va 4suitable frame or base plate 1. aremounted .the spindlesy 'orlsh'afts' 2, `2a offithe ribbonreels 3, 3a,mounted freelylthereon,

which are each provided at theY inner endv with ratchet teeth 4R42, forthe purpose of- 'd'riving them. Also mounted on 7)the-base* plateV f1and adapted to be reciprocated longitudinally thereon ,isv ajslide whichcarries pawls 6, 6a, which maybe spring-urged Y as shown, adaptedrespectively Vto Yengage the rathets 4, 4a to drivel: them asthe' slide5 is Y reciprocated, y means hereinafter Adescribed being yprovidedto-`fprevent both'pawls engagig. if' is a part top planwith the parts inf .swam-@fion 0f Leftfsent-i latented May 1,6,Appucati'oariednprii'14,19131.*sentirai-162387.

for lr'eciproc'at-ingf theffdr'ivfing slide 5. As

shown a lpin 7 projects -throughthelbase plateliand iis'adapted to beengagedperiodicallybylsomelinoving part ofltheapparatus, arspr'ingl8`beii-1g provided'fto return itto norm-al position. l* ,"Hlso:suitably: -In'ountedfon the V'base plate l1 is-la bar Vor ithe flikel9-capable of limited lengthwise imovement thereon. As shown thekbar 9is-mountedon Vthe -lstuds 10 its lengthwise movement thereon beinglimited by? meansvof #the length -of' the Vslots 11 throughwhichltheistudsflO pass. Aspring lftends.noi-iinall4 .todra'w the bar 9toward the spindle -2 an =reel 3.

Upon lsuitable pivots 13, 13a` are freely pivotedriderst, 14a'adaptedrtolridve lightly over thelsurfa'ce Aof vthe 4ribbon on' thereel and toberaised or lowered as the ribbon-is Wound? upon or Yunwoundfrom the correspondingieel. vUpo'irthe same' pivots may 'befmountedjfriction plates 15 -15a adapted tofcausefthe ribbonto be woundtightly".upon thefreels and to prevent undue rotation -of the' reels -witlilooseness of the 1vribbon when vit islbeingunwound therefrom.A Thefriction plates 15, f15may be urged'agailiist ithe reelslby springs16,1163,l andtsimilarxsprings mayvbe'employed withwtheriders 14, l@l ifdesired. flheibar 9-carries.pins'17, 17*L adapted accordingitotheposition offthe bartofhold one orfother v of thepa-wls 6,. 6Pout ofengagement with the corresponding ratchets et, lathe pin 17engaginglfanarm 18 of thepawl 6,and the pin 17 `operating a cainplate18a on the spindle 2a tohhold-thel pawl'a awayfrom the Y ratchet 4u.Fhereversingbar 9'isshownfin` is a second llongitudinally 1movable.Agbar 21- wvhich'yinay -alsofbe'inounted onthe studs 10. Thisfbar isvnormally' maintained drawn -toward'fthe -Y reel 3a l'byla spring 22which may for convenience, as shown, be arranged be-V hind thebas'eplate 1,@a pin 23 secured tothe -bar 21 passing through a slot in thebase plate for the purpose. Upon the front of the bar 21 is arrangedapino'r `lug24 andA behind the reversing bar 9 is Va, corresponding pin25 adapted to be normally engaged thereby. The spring 22 being made ofgreater strengththan the spring 12, the'tension of the spring 22'on thebar 21 normally overcomes that of the spring 12 on the revers- 'V eatingthe bar 21 and this, may be done by actuating the pin 26 at the back ofthe base plate 1 byA the same means as are employed to actuate the pawlbar or 'driving slide 5, the spring 22 causing the bar to return tonormal Vpositionafter each actuation in the other direction. Thereversing bar 9 under the action of its spring 12 is also ynormallycaused to reciprocate with the bar '21.

The bars 9 and 21 are preferably. arranged so that their outer edgesapproximately eoincide with and are tangential to the maximumperipheries of the reels 3 `.and 3a sol thatas the reels unwind theedges oftheir riders are free unless otherwise prevented, to drop belowthe level of the edgesV of the bars 9j and 21 and as theyare wound lupthe edges of the riders are gradually; raised above they edgessof saidbars.. If therefore the rider14 iseXtended lengthwise so as to embracethe bar 9- andthe `rider 14aL is eX- tended to embrace the bar 21,-beingformed so as to arch over the bar 9 iniallpositions, it is obvious thatif suitably positioned slits or stops are formed on saidbars `or theyare made of suitable length theriders may be caused as they are loweredto entersuch slits, engage such stops, or pass over the ends of thebarsv and prevent their reciprocating movement. As shown the rider 14ais arranged to pass ov-er theend of the bar 21 and the rider 14 toengagea stop 27 on the bar ,9.l v A o 1 i v 1 Now supposing the.lposition `ofthe parts to be as shown in Fig. 1, and the ribbon to, bejust finished winding on to reel 3? from reel. 3, the rider 14a will beat its highest position and the rider 14-will drop to its lowestposition (for the purpose for which the riders are employed they neednotfollow the ribbon to the smallest diameter) -for when the bars 21 and9 are, under theltension ofthe spring 22, together moved toward the reel3L the rider 14 will drop past-the stop 27 Von the bar-9 and in thisposition it; holds the -bar 9 Vfrom moving back toward the reel'A 3. Thebar 9 being held in this position in the manner above describedmainratchet 4 of reel 3 and so to positively drive it. p i

It will be obvious that though bar 9-is *now locked there is nothing toprevent the continued reciprocation of bar 21. As, however, the ribbonis unwoundfrom reel 3"L the rider 14a lgradually drops until its edgefalls below the level of the edge ofl bar 21 when, on a movement of saidbar toward reel3V it will drop over the end ofthe bar and lock it in theposition toward `reel 3.r Both bars vare then in thelocked `position andso remain for the time being. As the reel 3, however, becomes full therider 14 is gradually raisedby the ribbon till, when the reel is quitefull, it' is lifted outof engagement with stop 27 on the bar 9 which,seeing that the bar 21 is held toward reel 3, is itself free to move inthe same direction under the impulse of spring 12. This movement of thereversing bar 9 reverses the pawls as above described and theribbon isagain rewound on to reel 3a, both bars 9 v and 21Y meanwhile remainingstationary. When reel 3a is again full rider 14a is lifted from the endof bar 21, which is then, together with bar 9, vunder the impulse Vofthe strong spring 22 moved toward reel 3a, and,

rider 14 being. allowed to drop,',bar 9 is again locked in this positionand. again reverseswthe feed. And so the actionv continues, the reversetaking place each time one lof the ribbons becomes full. v

It is of course obvious that the bars 9fand 21may be placed anywherewithrelation to the reels or drums and their movements Ygoverned fromthe riders 14 and 14a bysuitable lever or link connections. Y Accordingto the presentinvention asset out above, the-reversing rof the reels ordrums is operated by a single vsetY of opposing' springs. We are aware,however, that it has been proposed to reverse'themovement of the inkribbon of a typewriter by means of two pairs of opposing springs, onepair operating .with each ribbon reel. Such `an arrangement is entirelydistinct from that herein described and necessitates complementarymechanism of anentirely different typefor its application. i i

Having thus described the lsaid invention and the best means I know ofvcarrying the same into practical effect, I claim :-k

1. In apparatus having ink ribbon fand of pawlspivotally mountedvon theslide and adapted respectively to engage Athe ratchet-s to turn thereels alternately as the slide reciprocates, reversing mechanism formoving the paivls alternatelyV into and out of engagement with theratchets, said reversing mechanism consisting of va movable memberslldably mounted on the frame, a spring device tending to move Vthemember inl one di- Vrectlon, a second movable member slidably mounted onthe frame and engaging the first movable member, a second spring devicehaving an inherent power stronger than that of the first spring deviceand tending to urge the second movable member and the first movablemember together in the direc' tion reverse tothe first said directionand means governed by the diameters of the said reels for regulating themovements ofthe said movable members.

2; In apparatus having ink ribbon and like feed mechanism of the typeherein rey to turn the reels alternately as the slide reciprccates,reversing mechanism-for. moving the pawls alternately into and out ofengagementivith the ratchets, said reversing mechanism comprising' areciprocating mem-v ber, a reacting controlling device tending to movethe member 1n one direction, a second reciprocating member which.normally operatively engages thev first member, Va second reactingcontrolling device having inherent power stronger than that of the firstsaid reacting controlling device and tending to move the tvvoreciprocating members together in a direction opposite to the said firstdirection against the action of the rst said yreacting controllingdevice and' means for positively moving the saidsecond memberperiodically in the first-named direction against the action of itsovvn'reacting controlling device and means governed by the diameters ofthe ribbon reels for regulating the movements 'of the reciprocatingmembers.` L f Y 3. In apparatus having ink ribbon and like feedmechanism offthe type herein Vreferred to, the combination of a frame, apair of ribbon reelsV rotatably mounted on the frame, a ratchet devicecarried by eachreel, a reciprocating drivingY slide, a pair of pavvlspivotally mounted on the slide and adapted respectively to engage theratchets to turn the reels alternately as the slide reciprocates,reversing mechanism for moving -ing the ratchets at the same time, saidmeans comprising a reversing bar slidably mounted on the frame, meansfor moving the bar longitudinally in one direction to a terminalposition, a reacting controlling device for moving the bar in thereverse direction to another terminal position, means carried by thebar, adapted, according to) the position of the bar, to holdv one orother of the said pavvls out of engagement With the correspondingratchet, and devices governed by the diameters of the ribbon reels forregulating the actions of said reversing mechanism.

1l. In apparatus having ink ribbon and like feed mechanism of the typeherein referred to, the combination of va frame, a pair of ribbon reelsrotatably mounted on the frame, a ratchet device carried by each reel, areciprocating driving slide, a pair of pawls pivotally mounted on theslide and adapted respectively to engage the ratchets to turn the reelsalternately as the slide reciprocates, reversing mechanism for movingthe pavvls alternately into and out of engagement Withthe ratchets,including means adapted to prevent both pavvls from engag ing theratchets at the same time, said means comprising a reversing barslidably mounted on the frame, means for moving the bar longitudinallyin one direction to a terminal position, a reacting controlling devicefor moving the bar in the reverse direction to another terminalposition, means carried by the bar, adapted according to the position ofthe barto hold one or other of the said pavvls out of engagement Withthe corresponding ratchet, riders resting upon the reels adapted to riseand fall as the diam eters of the reels increase or decrease, said`riders adapted t0 hold the reversing bar alternately and eachrespectively in one of its terminal positions till one of thereels isfilled With ink ribbon or thelike, and devices governed by the diametersof the ribbon reels for regulating the actions of said reversingmechanism.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

` Washington, D. C.

